We all want to be fluent speakers of two or more languages but our train stops at where to start? We all have been there but to make your journey smooth like butter we have curated this list of top 10 tips in which you can raise your child in a bilingual environment. These tips are specially designed for raising bilingual children and how you can give them access to the linguistic world in the best way possible. So here we go...
1. START EARLY
You'll have a far higher chance of nurturing a nice balance in the child's bilingual abilities if you're proactive from the start. For two reasons, the period from birth until age 6 or 7 is critical.
Young brains are most primed for language learning during this time, and if the child attends primary school in the majority language, "rebalancing" the two languages becomes more difficult after that. Spanish teaching will become so much easier if your start early as you will be able to comprehend your child’s learning patterns more efficiently. In other words, putting in the time and effort upfront will make it simpler to cultivate and maintain the balance you desire throughout childhood. It's far more difficult to "catch up" with a minority language. Find amazing products to learn Spanish here. For coursepacks and lesson plans please refer to this site.
2. GET INFORMED WHILE SETTING UP THE GOALS
You'll be better able to promote your child's language development if you educate yourself on the issue of children and bilingualism. To expand your knowledge and thoughts, go to useful books, online resources, and other parents. For additional support and camaraderie, look for bilingual or parenting organizations in your area. Make a specific objective for your child's capacity to communicate in the minority language. Whatever your aim is, make it clear and make sure your efforts are in line with it. It is possible to improve your reading and writing skills, but you and your child will need to work hard to achieve this objective.
3. ADDING MORE BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY
Try to stock up your child’s favorite books in English as well as the book of the language that you want them to learn. The books should be related as per the interest of the child. As it is easy for the kids to learn a new language, keeping the books of their interest by knowing what they are fond of is important. Books that translate from English to Spanish are really helpful once a person learns one language. These types of teaching resources will become very beneficial when you want to broaden the area of Spanish learning resources for your children. Keep a check on what kind of books they love. It should contain storybooks, genres, comic books that the child has an interest in. If kids would be able to create an interest in the type of book they read then it would be easy for them to come up with their own ideas and words in the language that they are trying to learn.
4. PLAY MUSIC AND SING SONGS
The effective way to teach your child a new language is by playing songs and music, songs or rhymes in the minority language. As it is proven that listening to music helps a child to learn the language in a much better way. A melody aids in the memorization of words and phrases that would otherwise be difficult for children to remember, and lyrics aid in the expansion of vocabulary. So, this is the easiest and most fun way for them to learn a new language by listening to their favorite songs every day. There is a song named Alegría!” The cumbia-tinged song about a girl who finds happiness everywhere she goes repeats stanzas twice to help toddlers learn new phrases.
5. WATCH SHOWS/SERIES
OTT platforms like Netflix/ Amazon Prime have been the most sought-after industry. The pandemic has restricted people to their homes which benefited the OTT platforms. There were several popular shows which aired on Netflix and prime like Money Heist, Squid game, Breaking Bad. But an unusual factor which we can observe in recent times is the diversity of languages and cultures that people have been watching and accepting worldwide. Switching the Audio to your desired language with subtitles is just one click away. This can be a great way to familiarize your child with a whole new language and culture.
6. PEER GROUP
We all know how important the role of friends/peer group is in the character development of a child. According to a study in psychology, it is said that you are a blend of five people that you are closest with. These types of peer groups are very helpful in a homeschooling environment as you can exchange more suitable homeschooling resources with other parents as well. From the age that a child starts going to school leaving home, he/she starts to grow and imitate people around him. Having diversity in languages and culture can not only give the child exposure to different languages but also make him open-minded and culturally sensitive.
7. MAKE IT FUN AND CREATIVE
Learning doesn’t only have to be restricted to listening or reading. And when it comes to a child, one can definitely expect the child to read and learn a language. Teaching a child and an adult differs. One of the ways for making it interesting is knowing the child’s interests. Above mentioned educational resources like video series, music and games are a great way to grab your child’s attention in studying while playing. What do they spend most of their time doing? Playing with your child and inculcating the teaching of language in that activity can strengthen your bond and also enable your child to learn a language in a fun way. This can also impact the child’s personality by making him more curious about learning new languages later in his life.
8. LEARN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
Making your child bilingual cannot be achieved solely from the child’s efforts. The parents must also be familiar with the language and put in equal efforts at a young age as that age is the most crucial for a child’s development. Learning sign language can be an effective way to teach your baby any language. For learning sign language Spanish teaching resources are easily available on the internet. Start signing the phrase or word and then speak the language that you want them to learn. This method can prove to be the most effective when executed well, as it is a scientifically known fact that visuals are more powerful than Audio. The child would be able to remember the sign and the word linked to it.
9. READ ALOUD TO YOUR CHILD EVERY DAY
As to kids, we cannot generate interest in reading to them every day. But trying to show them how much reading is important and how fun it is can definitely develop their interest in browsing through these magical books. Showing them or telling them how reading is fun would create zeal in them to learn more about reading. Some Spanish educational materials available on Language Learning Market will help your child get a holistic point of view while learning through Spanish lesson plans. Whether it’s their bedtime or in-between their daily routine try talking to them in an informal way and inculcate to them your real-life experience of how reading has helped you a lot in life. And show them how much fun and exciting it is to read new things and how much value you learn from them. This will help them to learn new vocabulary every day. Even when the child is old enough try reading to them every day loudly.
10. TALK TO YOUR CHILD
No one can deny the fact that one is more comfortable and familiar with their own mother tongue than in any other language. Talking to your child in the languages that you want them to learn can prove to be effective because no matter what language we learn, speak or use later in life. We might forget that language if not in practice but one can never forget their mother tongue whether in use or not.
These are some of the best educational tips which I came across while finding the best resources to help raise a bilingual kid. We are aware of the fact that how difficult it can be for teaching a tender mind two languages simultaneously and that is the main reason we came across this list to help you give the most enjoyable trip to your goal of raising a bilingual kid. Hope you got some clarity after going through this list.